


For the Honor of Etheria?: Adora's Choice and Jack's Bold Move

by lefemmerouge



Series: An Unlikely Alliance Against Evildoers [9]
Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon), She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Autistic Entrapta (She-Ra), Beach City, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Crystal Gems, Developing Relationship, Earth, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Compromised, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship, Gem Fusion, Gen, Genocide, Librarians, Libraries, Magic, Mind Control, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Multi, Multiple Crossovers, Other, Reconciliation, Relationship(s), Science Fiction, Space Battles, Space Stations, Storytelling, Sunsets, Swords & Sorcery, Technology, Yuri, archives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 11:20:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20257261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lefemmerouge/pseuds/lefemmerouge
Summary: As the Gems and princesses work together in a joint offensive to defeat the Horde once and for all, they inadvertently allow Samurai Jack, now mind controlled by the Diamonds, to make a bold move. In the aftermath of the Horde's demise, Adora is faced with a choice for her future, whether she will stay with her new friends or remain on Etheria...





	For the Honor of Etheria?: Adora's Choice and Jack's Bold Move

**Author's Note:**

> I used the name Peri, after the first mention of Peridot, to make her more personable.

With the stun gun's effect wearing off, Entrapta came to her senses, even though she was still on the ground. Glimmer helped Bow, who examined her computers, while Adora and Pearl looked at her intently, with the other princesses and Gems standing guard. Surprised by their boldness, she demanded to know why they had come there

> _"Hey, why did you stun me? I didn't do anything to hurt you all. You were the ones that attacked me, not the other way around!"_

Glimmer, Bow, and Adora shook their heads. They brought her over to Hordak, who laid lifeless on the floor. They reminded her that the scientific experiments she had conducted caused the destabilization of Etheria, almost killing them in the process. Seeing Hordak on the floor emotionally destroyed her. She soon dropped to her knees, shouting "Why! It was the first time I ever had a lab partner. You don't understand him like I did. You are monsters!" While some of the princesses were ready to console Entrapta, one of the Gem fusions did so instead. Stevonnie, who had almost split apart due to Amazonite's violent methods, cried beside her. They reassured her that the princesses and Gems hadn't killed Hordak but rather the Horde soldiers fired upon him in "self-defense."

Entrapta, shocked by this revelation, felt very confused. It almost seemed as if the world had come to an end for her. In some ways, the princesses and Gems felt the same since the Fright Zone had become more unstable due to the continual barrage of energy blasts from Horde tanks upon the structure itself. They implored Entrapta to come with them, saying that she did not have to join the Princess Alliance or the Rebellion, but that the Horde was finished. Entrapta, thinking they didn't understand her, touched a few buttons on the computer screen, leading to a whirring sound. The portal began to open. She thought that if the Horde no longer existed on Etheria she could join them on Horde Prime. She would, if she went there, serve the ultimate leader of the Horde, Malevolent, Hordak's half-brother. As she was about to step into the portal, the princesses and Gems held her back, Frosta with her ice chains, Perfuma with her flower chains, and Amethyst with her whip. Realizing they were right to stop her, she relented. Unbeknownst to them, a Diamond communicator, [given to Steven by White, Blue, and Yellow Diamond](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20177053), had been sucked out of Stevonnie's pocket, and into the portal, which had, due to the out-of-control suction, started pulling in the rest of the room like an expanding black hole. Luckily for them, the portal pulled in nothing else.

Traveling through the portal, the Diamond communicator popped out on the other side, floating in space near Horde Prime. The portal had been closed on the Etherian side when Entrapta shut it down and Garnet smashed the structure into oblivion. However, the Diamond communicator continued to be active: it pinged out a location to the Great Diamond Armada (GDA) sitting in orbit around Homeworld. It revealed the location of the Horde fleet, consisting of at least 57 warships, named Horde Space Snappers, floating near the decrepit planet of Horde Prime and its nearby moon. These ships, covered by metallic black armor, had a pointed front and a neck connecting the head of the ship to an almost-diamond-shaped back region, which contained a thruster emitting a bright green light. Malevolent, on the mothership, basically a bigger version of a Horde Space Snapper, twiddled his thumbs. Like he had for over a 1,000 years, he awaited the signal from his half-brother, keeping his ships at the ready in the event that the day would come for invasion.

Back on Homeworld, the GDA received the coordinates for the Horde Fleet and inputted them into their navigation computers. No Gem Warships would be traveling to Horde Prime but an impressive set of armaments were still part of the GDA. Emerald, a high-level aristocrat of the Homeworld society, commanded a 40-ship squadron of [Destiny Destroyers](https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Destiny_Destroyer), shaped like enormous green octahedrons, with small front-facing windscreens, four claw-like prongs containing the ship's main cannons, and an assortment of precision missiles. Escorting them were 20 [Sun Incinerators](https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Sun_Incinerator), yellow-colored ships shaped like hexagonal prisms, with their fronts tapered into a point, and two wings on the sides. There were also a 50-ship squadron of Trilliant Splitters, strong enough to ram into enemy spaceships. Sparkling in the sky, these unique ships, different from those that were square, round, or rectangular, had sharp and dashing features, comprising a triangular shape with three equal sides, with the equivalent of 50 facets to accent their powerfulness. They were angled, with sharp points, having such splendor that their enemies would be awed by the symmetry and destructive force of these ships. Able to blind their enemies with a white flash of light, they contained a set of slicer cannons and an arsenal of diamond-tipped missiles. Accompanying them was the Pear Shimmer, shaped like a pear which had a rounded side narrowed to a point, which could open and allow those docked in the ship's hangar bay to depart. The 100 starfighters housed within the ship were Marquise Chippers, which resembled the shape of an elongated eye and contained four cannons. One ship led the GDA, unlike any of the others.

Samurai Jack flew an octagonal ship, called the Asscher Slasher, with large step facets and four cropped corners. While living on Homeworld and under Diamond's mind control, he had become an Honorary Admiral, with the Diamonds supporting him since they sensed a great warrior which could be used to accomplish their ends. No longer could he be called Samurai Jack, but his more accurate name showed a level of higher importance: Admiral Jack, commander of the GDA. He ordered the fleet to warp to the new coordinates after activating the Diamond communicator orbiting Horde Prime. The communicator let out an EMP, which disabled many Horde ships with a huge energy surge, making them sitting ducks for the massive attack to come. No ship would be spared, ensuring that only debris and dust remained of the enemy fleet. If Steven, or any of the other Gems, had known of such an attack, they would have never sanctioned it, and that is why Blue, Yellow, and White Diamond vowed to never tell them.

As Malevolent tried to get the disabled ships back online, working with the ship commanders, they found the source of the EMP. It emanated from a device of some kind which they quickly obliterated. Those ships affected worked to restore power, so that their weapons systems, including a heavy stock of missiles, were ready to launch at any approaching enemy. Sitting on the mothership, he received a warning from the ship's computer: it had detected something warping toward them through hyperspace. Despite the EMP going off, he had no reason to expect an attack was imminent and hoped Hordak had come with a fleet of ships to assist them in conquering worlds. He couldn't be more wrong.

Blue warps appeared around the fleet. While they could, under normal circumstances, easily defend themselves, the tactics of the incoming enemy rendered them almost defenseless. The Trilliant Splitters warped right into Horde Space Snappers, ramming into them at a fast rate of speed. Soldiers were thrown across space to their deaths, propelled forward by the huge explosions, colored bright yellow, tangerine, and dark orange, which had split apart the ships, and rocked the Horde fleet. In desperation, seeing laser bolts fill the skies and the destruction outside his ship's windows, Malevolent demanded the crews of the remaining ships fight back. They were no match for the full might of the GDA. Although their ships were being eliminated, one by one, he was hopeful they could win because the mothership and space station remained intact and untouched. To recover from the battle, Horde ships, some smoldering with black smoke, retreated and formed a defensive posture around the space station and mothership. They were faced with a formidable enemy. All 50 Trilliant Splitters had warped in, facing them, and had ravaged 33 of their ships, resulting in an incalculable loss of life. Only 24 ships remained, less than half of their original fleet.

The Horde fleet would soon be outgunned. Although the Trilliant Splitters stopped attacking and arranged themselves in a defensive triangular formation, the other GDA ships were ready to join them. The 40 Destiny Destroyers, 20 Sun Incinerators, the Pear Shimmer, which housed 100 Marquise Chipper starfighters, and Jack's ship, the Asscher Slasher, warped in, arriving in front of the Trilliant Splitters. They were ready to finish off the Horde. Leading the GDA, Jack ordered them to attack, with a mission of picking off one Horde Space Snapper at a time. The Nephrite pilots, sitting in the Pear Shimmer, readied themselves for battle, while the Agates, which commanded the Sun Incinerators, with a crew of Carnelians and Quartz soldiers, whom were Amethysts, prepared their nova thrusters. The Destiny Destroyers, headed by Jaspers, apart from the one commanded by Emerald, had a crew of Peridots and Citrines, and were glad to join their compatriots in the assault, preparing their targeting computers.

Cannons of the Horde ships continued to fire at the approaching enemy. The Diamond ships were barely touched, while detonations of Horde ships boomed across space. It pained Malevolent to see the Horde fleet, which he had worked so hard to build, be systematically eviscerated. Without warning, cannons of the GDA ships, which had wiped out all but three Horde Space Snappers, stopped firing. While this seemed like a strange move to him, with commanders of the three remaining Horde ships feeling that chance of victory was remote, he had one more trick up his sleeve. Snickering devilishly, he ordered their starfighters, sitting in the space station, to be launched and told the remaining star cruisers to go on the offensive. Before the Diamond ships had time to regroup, the Horde ships advanced upon them. This seemed foolish, as they were outgunned, but they had a plan: concentrate their combined firepower on one ship at a time, in an effort to wipe them out. It would provide a distraction while the starfighters came in for the coup de grace.

Hundreds of Horde starfighters swarmed the Diamond ships, thinking they were driving a channel between them. Little did they know, they were falling into a trap devised by Jack, thanks to loyal sapphires whom had predicted this move by the Horde. As they moved between the ships, those at the front and end of the channel, closed them in. Suddenly, a gauntlet of laser fire rained down upon the starfighters, coming from the 100 Marquise Chippers, which had silently left the Pear Shimmer. Unable to survive the onslaught, those left tried to retreat to the Horde fleet, but the 105 Diamond ships and 95 starfighters had them in their sights. They became nothing more than smoldering pieces of wreckage after they had been destroyed with flashes of yellow and white light. While the Diamonds had lost five Star Incinerators and five starfighters, the Horde had experienced much greater severity.

The star cruisers Malevolent had ordered to advance on the Diamond fleet had become floating rubble. All that remained of the Horde's forces were the space station, 25 starfighters, and the mothership. Jack ordered the Trilliant Splitters, their strongest ships, to fire upon the mothership, while the others would attack the space station. He would, in his Asscher Slasher, lead their starfighters so that the remaining enemy starfighters could be routed. As the radio crackled in his cockpit, he spoke to his fellow compatriots:

> _"Nephrites, follow my lead. Prepare to attack on my mark...Commence attack. We do this...for the Diamonds!"_

Heavy flak from the remaining Horde starfighters resulted in many of his fellow pilots being killed. Even so, they stuck together, allowing them to completely raze the enemy fighter squadron. The dogfights they engaged in were almost child play. Despite the fact they had more experience conquering planets, the Horde pilots weren't ready for battle. This was why it saddened Jack to see his fellow battle-hardened Nephrites killed by enemy laser fire, especially since he had trained with them for months in the fast-tracked process to an admiral. During that time, he had become a new person. Almost none of his old thoughts and beliefs were part of his being. Even if mind control of the Diamonds ultimately cracked, which continued to be a possibility, it wouldn't matter. Any thought he had of being a righteous samurai destined to defeat Aku seemed to have disappeared. He had become a warrior of the Diamond Authority, exactly what Blue, Yellow, and White Diamond wanted. There seemed nothing to crack him out of such control, not even himself.

A huge blast reverberated across the battlefield. The space station had become a floating wreck, leaving only one Horde ship remaining: the badly damaged mothership. Jack ordered the Trilliant Splitters to stop firing. The GDA, then consisting of 105 Diamond ships and 55 starfighters, surrounded the enemy ship in a blockade. He patched through a message, hoping that whoever commanded it would surrender, allowing them to win the day.

> _"I am Admiral Jack, commander of the Great Diamond Armada. We implore you to surrender yourself and your remaining crew. Let us end this battle."_

He could see his opponent, Malevolent, cackling at this request. Despite the fact the entire Horde fleet had been wiped out, along with the space station, making him emotionally distraught, what Jack proposed was out of the question. He wouldn't give up so easily. He felt that a surrender would dishonor everything he had worked for.

> _"Surrender? That will never happen. I will fight to the end and will go down with this ship. Someday you will pay for the destruction you have caused here today!"_

Jack responded, telling him that if wanted that to happen, then he would order all of his ships to fire upon the mothership. He thought talking captain-to-captain would end the fighting so that no more blood would be spilled. That seemed out of the question. Soon enough, the laser cannons of Diamond ships barraged Malevolent's ship, causing it to crack apart. Knowing that the ship had some power left, he hoped to rig it to would detonate and wipe out the Diamond fleet in one blow. Unfortunately, for him, this plan backfired, as his ship lost power instead and quickly plummeted toward the surface of Horde Prime, meaning his kamikaze plan had failed. Watching in disbelief, Jack told the fleet to move a safe distance away from the planet.

As his ship burned up in a reddish yellow-orange fireball, he yelled out one final word "JAAAAACK!" Of course, Jack couldn't hear it, as the sound from Malevolent's voice couldn't carry that far. The resulting detonation caused Horde Prime to break apart, with rocks hurtling toward the Diamond ships. Seeing the danger, Jack ordered the fleet to warp back to Homeworld in haste to avoid being crushed by the incoming rocks. All of them complied, with planetary debris only wiping out five Destiny Destroyers in huge yellowish green clouds of energy. Jack, preparing to warp back to Homeworld and rejoin the Diamonds, looked back at the remains of Horde Prime. The Horde's reign of evil across the universe seemed to be an end. Little did he know, but Horde soldiers, tanks, and the Fright Zone remained on Etheria, a problem that the planet would have to figure out on their own terms, whatever way they saw fit.

Back in the Fright Zone, with the portal turned off, the princesses and Gems confronted Entrapta. Glimmer, the most forthright of all the princesses, told her that the hacking of the Black Garnet and the resulting climate changes had disrupted the fragile balance of the planet. She pointed out how the use of First One technology had been a theft of historical artifacts, as bad as her other transgressions, while seriously endangering all their lives! Bow sighed, telling her that she had become, whether she liked it or not, a "collaborator with evil." These comments, more than any other, shook her to the core. She had justified, to herself, the theft of First One's tech and "science" no matter what. She had felt abandoned by the princesses and thought she could find new friends among the Horde. This had become meaningless because none of these "friends" had come to her aid when the Gems and princesses liberated the Fright Zone. Those "friends" were off helping themselves and did not care about anyone else.

Delving into deep thought, she began to realize the consequences of her actions from their point of view. It all seemed clearer now, but it disturbed her that Hordak had been killed. She opened up to them, realizing her errors.

> _"My god, you must think I am a monster. I can understand why you are angry at me. I only wanted to conduct scientific experiments, collect data, and test the boundaries of thought. I never wanted to hurt anyone. But, in the process, I blindly charged ahead, not thinking of how my actions would affect other people. I am sorry and I ask for your forgiveness." _

While Perfuma cried tears of joy, and hugged Entrapta, more than willing to forgive, the other princesses felt she should pay penance for what she had done. They asked her to help them begin the process of dehordeification, starting with the destruction of the Fright Zone itself. She agreed with their terms on the condition her materials and supplies could be moved back to her castle in Dryl. She hoped this meant they would provide a new lab for her, so she could continue her experiments. As they prepared to leave, they could hear screams of terror from outside the Fright Zone. They ran down the hallways, with Entrapta on the back of her robot, Emily, which had powerful lasers that could melt through walls.

Opening the Fright Zone's last outer door, they could see Catra and Scorpia standing beside each other, with a legion of extremely hurt Horde soldiers. Snickering, Catra evilly uttered her famous catchphrase: "Hey Adora." Glimmer and Bow were tied up inside the ice cage instead of Catra. What these evildoers hadn't expected were the Crystal Gems, whose powers they had never dealt with before. Garnet fired her fists at them, while Pearl's spear sent laser blasts in their direction. Adora, who shouted "For the Honor of Greyskull!," and turned into She-Ra, charged at them. Stevonnie threw their shields while keeping one to protect the group from incoming laser bolts from the guns of Horde soldiers. Their attack incapacitated all of them except Catra, who approached Adora, feeling she could beat her once and for all. She did not count on a huge rat; which Amethyst had shapeshifted herself into. She didn't know much about Catra, but she thought that anyone would fear such a menacing animal. It worked, frightening her, causing her to run away terrified. Perfuma caught her. Adora, who had changed back into her usual form, not that of She-Ra, let out a hearty laugh and addressed a disoriented Catra.

> _"You aren't getting away this time, and we'll make sure of that. Your reign of destruction on this planet is over!"_

Fast forward three days. The Fright Zone had been destroyed, thanks to Entrapta's ingenious implosion, and efforts to fill in the area with dirt, to serve as a location for a new structure, were beginning. Horde symbols were systematically obliterated apart from former battle sites, whether near Thaymor, the Whispering Woods, or anywhere else. They were maintained so that all could be reminded of the evil deeds of the Horde. A small selection of Horde weapons, armor, and technology were acquired by Bow's dads, George and Lance. As a token of goodwill, Adora gave her old Horde shirt to them, since she no longer felt comfortable wearing a reminder of evil. She would always remember the Horde, but in her own personal way.

George and Lance worked with Angella, Bow, and his other 12 siblings, to plan construction of a new building, atop the Fright Zone's previous location, called the Archives of Etheria. This put a smile on Stevonnie's face since the records from the underwater archive in Salineas had been saved and were stored with care. In the meantime, Peridot and Lapis, having no battles left to fight, felt comfortable un-fusing into their original Gem forms. This allowed Peri to talk with Entrapta, whom, as a form of atonement, worked to ensure that the new archives would have the appropriate technology. As a token of goodwill, Bow and Peri had created inter-dimensional video recorders for each other, so they could communicate even when the Gems returned to Earth. As a kind gesture, Stevonnie gave the diary, _The tale of Rainbow Quartz and Pink Diamond,_ back to Angella. She gifted it, along with other books and materials from her personal library to the growing archives, a new institution of knowledge, where she would serve as a special adviser, helping them choose the right items to add to their collections.

Although the head of the Horde, Hordak, had been killed, the disarmed Horde soldiers and their compatriots (Catra, Scorpia, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogellio) remained. While Perfuma wanted a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Angella and the other princesses demanded a more stringent approach. Those who had been part of the Horde would be brought to trial, judged by ordinary citizens of Etheria from across the planet's many kingdoms, elected by their fellow citizens, with lengthy sentences for those who had committed heinous crimes. There would be no gentle treatment of those who had committed war crimes, with all offenses against morality and humanity undoubtedly punished. Some could say the princesses were hypocritical since Entrapta, whom had collaborated with the Horde, worked alongside them. But, like everyone else, she would have her own trial. Measures were put in place to ensure that those at the top of the Horde structure, like Catra and Scorpia, would never be allowed to hold any position of power on the planet ever again. If Shadow Weaver reappeared, she would be on trial for her many crimes, which stretched beyond collaboration with the Horde to killing fellow Sorcerers in Mystacor, and many other misdeeds.

The effort to de-hordeify the planet continued, with those who had been part of the Horde sent to schools in order to ensure their evil ways and thoughts would fade away, so they could become productive members of society. Their role in Etheria would depend on whether they could recognize the errors of their past association with the Horde and work to help rebuild the planet. For some, the punishment for their past transgressions would be community service, while for others it would include something more severe, perhaps even death, although this would be decided by the courts themselves. Some courts were composed of a judge and jury, while others only included lay jurors, with the referral to appropriate court depending on the severity of the crime former member of the Horde had committed. Those charged with crimes could defend themselves in court, even asking for someone to represent them. This seemed to a remote possibility because those living on the planet, as a matter of principle and en masse, refused to defend anyone whom had been associated with the Horde, remembering their crimes.

In the meantime, the Gems were preparing for their departure. Since they had met everyone in the war council room when they had come into Etheria at the beginning of this journey, due to a purposeful memory implantation by the other Diamonds for selfish purposes in Lion, the princesses were ready to wish them well. As they readied to leave, Adora began to cry. The departure of Pearl, whom she had gotten to know better during her time on Etheria, distressed her deeply. Who on Etheria truly understood her, that shared something in common with her? Sure, Bow and Glimmer were nice and friendly, accepting her after she had defected from the Horde, while Swift Wind had great comic timing, but Pearl felt like someone different, a person she could share her real self with. As she contemplated what to do next. Bow ran into the room, shouting that when he reviewed the underwater archive's records he found something startling. Everyone stopped and listened to the hologram of Light Hope he had discovered:

> _"In order for She-Ra to bring balance and order to Etheria she must wield a power of unimaginable destructive capability. With the Sword of Protection, the planet itself can become a weapon, allowing it to annihilate the Horde or any other foe, saving the universe from destruction. This will result in the death of all those on the planet except She-Ra...but, what is the life of one planet measured against those of the entire universe?"_

This horrified everyone, especially the princesses. They now understood why Maura, the previous She-Ra, had moved the planet to another dimension, and why Light Hope had cast her out. While the Gems didn't know what to make of this other than express their displeasure, Adora became enraged, wiping the tears from her face. All her training with Light Hope, the use of the Sword of Protection, and her role as She-Ra seemed to be a lie. She asked herself how wielding the Sword of Protection was justified since Light Hope had genocidal thoughts, uncaring about the people who lived on the planet, her home since she [had crash landed on the planet as a baby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19822051).

Adora realized she had a choice. On the one hand, she could stay in Etheria with her friends Bow, Glimmer, and other princesses, deal with the conundrum of holding a sword gifted to her by a believer in planetary genocide and aftermath of the Horde's defeat. On the other, she could start a whole new life on Earth, away from the Horde, the traumas of her past, and spend more time with a friend who truly understood her, Pearl. She opened her mouth, ready to announce a momentous decision.

> _"What Light Hope describes in the hologram is revolting, disgusting, and outrageous. As such, I want nothing to do with her or this magical sword. I am relinquishing my sword to you, princesses, to keep in your care. With the collapse of the Crystal Castle and dehordeification beginning, She-Ra is no longer needed. You have all the resources available to ensure balance and order on this planet. I am telling you this because I am going with the Crystal Gems to Earth. I know you have all been great friends to me here, but I need to start a new life, explore places I've never been, and get to know a wonderful and amazing person, Pearl, better. I wish you all farewell."_

While Pearl blushed, Glimmer, Bow, and the other princesses hugged her. There were sad for her to leave, but they understood her reasoning, while Swift Wind cried tears of sadness. Bow accepted her sword and promised it would be added to the growing collections of the new archives. He mentioned that he and Peri had created an inter-dimensional video recorder, so she could communicate with them even on Earth. She grinned, hugging them back. Pearl chuckled and welcomed her into the Crystal Gems.

Stevonnie asked Lion to warp them to Earth. Yawning, Lion started the warp, with some getting inside his mane, like Lapis and Peri, Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet grabbed onto it, while Stevonnie and Adora sat on his back. They waved goodbye to the princesses and began their warp. Adora could start life anew without the responsibility to be She-Ra and the expectation she needed to "save everyone." She didn't know all the Crystal Gems as well as she would like, but her time on Earth would allow for that possibility.

In no time at all, they reached the end of the Panama Wormhole and were coming back to Earth, from the Moon Base. Lion used his super-warp to send them to Beach City. When they arrived, Greg, Steven's dad, cried tears of joy. He had been worried sick that Steven had been kidnapped, or something worse. Knowing that each of them had their own families, Steven and Connie un-fused, although their fusion as Stevonnie had shown its endurance and unparalleled strength. Yelling "Daad!", Steven ran toward his dad, who hugged him back, glad his "Schtu-ball" was safe and sound. Like Steven, Connie's parents, Doug and Priyanka, greeted her with open arms, glad to see she hadn't been harmed.

Bismuth beamed with excitement. The Crystal Gems had returned without a scratch and even brought along a new friend. This made her curious, as she had never seen this blonde-haired 17-year-old teenager, standing at Pearl's side, before.

> _"Nice to see you all again! Now, we're back in Bismuth. Who is this new friend? I've never seen her around these parts."_

Before Pearl could say anything, Adora introduced herself. As she explained it, Etheria, a planet within a far-off dimension, was full of life and beauty. She had joined them so she could start a new life, away from her troubled past there. While on the planet, Pearl had become one of her closest friends, seeming to understand her like no one else. Bowing, she tried to show as much deference as she could to Bismuth. While this formality surprised her, she welcomed Adora to Earth. Steven hoped she would have a fun time with them in Beach City and in their adventures to come.

As the sun began to set, everyone went back inside the [Beach House](https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Beach_House). Lapis and Peri were unsure where they would stay. In her triumphant entrance to Beach City when the Gems were battling Blue and Yellow Diamond, Lapis had thrown the barn, where they had previously lived, on top of Blue Diamond, smashing it into pieces. They would need to make new [meep morps](https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Meep_Morps), and could, perhaps, use pieces of the barn, which remained on the beach, to build an addition. Of course, they would need the approval (and help) of the other Crystal Gems if they wanted to start such a project. For now, they lived in the house's bathroom together. Only two remained outside: Pearl and Adora. They sat on the head of Obsidian, a statue that formed the face of [the Crystal Temple](https://steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Crystal_Temple), near the Lighthouse, where Ronaldo lived.

Even though Pearl had seen the Earth's sunset many times, since she had been living for over 8,000 years, like Garnet (and possibly Lapis, Bismuth, and Peri), while Amethyst was only about 5,000 years old, the bright yellows and oranges enthralled Adora. She hugged Pearl in an intimate embrace. She had never felt more alive in her life. The emotions that flowed through at that moment surpassed anything she had experienced on Etheria.

> _"Isn't it beautiful, Pearl? I'm so glad to be here on this planet with you."_

Pearl nodded and hugged Adora back, as they both sat together, watching the sun dip below the horizon. As the sky darkened and feeling tired from the day's journey, she went inside the house with Pearl, lying down on the couch in the living room. She soon fell asleep. Earth would be different, with new friends and new adventures. She felt free since the constraints of Etheria and the pressure to be a magical warrior had been lifted. A new chapter of Adora's life was about to begin and she didn't know what to expect next...

**Author's Note:**

> For this story, various sources were used, including pages on the Steven Universe fandom like those on the Gem Warship, Destiny Destroyer, Sun Incinerator, Homeworld Gems, Nephire, Quartzes, Peridot, Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, Beach House, Crystal Temple, and the Light House. For the description of the Trilliant Splitter, I used Michael Fried’s “Diamond Shapes vs Cut Guide: Popular Diamond Shapes,” 77 Diamond's "Trillion Cut Diamonds Shape" webpage, Mazal Diamond's "Diamond Shape: Trilliant Cut" webpage, and Beyond 4Cs's "The Comprehensive Guide to Trilliant Cut Diamonds" webpage. I also used Fried's description for other Diamond ships and "What Is An Ascher Cut Diamond" from Brillance LLC. The pages for Bow and Emily on the She-Ra fandom also provided necessary information incorporated into this narrative. For the space battle portion of this narrative, I was inspired by YouTube clips of space battles from Star Wars: The Clone Wars (from s3e20, s4e9, ), Star Wars Rebels (from S1e5, S2e18, S3, Battle of the Planets (1972 cartoon), Stitch!: The Movie (2003), a clip titled "Spaceship Battle in Atmosphere" and another titled "Battle of the Dreadnoughts -- A Star Wars Short Film," and one titled "Enterprise vs Star Destroyer FULLY ANIMATED," along with, of course, the space battle with Emerald in Lars of the Stars. Additionally, not only was my description of space battles inspired by those in the 2003 animated series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, but in this story I pay homage to the scene, in one of the last episode, of Separatist ships warping out of hyperspace into Republic warships, causing them to break apart. The ideas about "dehordeifiction" come from those practiced in East Germany as reported by David Silver in January 1995 ("East Germany Kept Nazi Past in Mind," New York Times), Bruni de La Motte in March 2007 ("East Germany did face up to its Nazi past," The Guardian) and ideas proposed in the "War Criminals, Activist Nazis, and Nominal Party Members" guideline issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Germany in 1946. I incorporated these ideas to show that those of Etheria were serious about moving past the evils of the Horde, although I'm not sure such thoughtfulness would ever be incorporated into the actual show. For ages of the Gems, I used discussion posts on the "Gem Ages?" thread on the Steven Universe fandom. I thank everyone, again, for their reading of my past stories.


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